Book Summary: Think and Grow Rich

Hailed as the grandad of all motivational books, ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill has been a trailblazer since 1937. Just because it was written a while back doesn’t mean it isn’t relevant today however. Here's our summary of the book. Go get rich!

Thoughts are the birthplace of nearly every facet of your personality. The biggest disruptions emerge from a single intangible impulse. Don’t let them float away, harvest them. Understand this concept, and you’ve understood this book.

The pursuit of a partnership

Perhaps there is no greater example of the power of a single thought than the partnership between Edwin C. Barnes and Thomas A. Edison. For a long time, all that Barnes wanted was to do business with Edison

Here’s how that happened:

Edwin Barnes didn’t have the education or the money to reach Edison’s office. Hopping on a freight, he made his way to Edison with a bold proposition to work with him, which got rejected. Impressed by his attitude however, Edison granted him a position as a sweeper. But that was hardly a demotion. Barnes worked as a sweeper for two years with only one singular thought — to work with Edison. He keenly observed his ways and soon the opportunity presented itself.

Edison’s ‘Ediphone’ was vehemently rejected by his sales team. That’s where Barnes stepped up — with a plan to distribute the Ediphone, which got accepted! Soon enough he became rich enough to create his company and partner with Edison.

Here’s the thing: Thoughts are great but channelling them into a point of unwavering singularity — that treats temporary mistakes as just a part of the road and not failure — is all that matters. Define your thoughts and burning desires. That’s it.

There are instances in life when you face a block in your desires; a misstep or a blind spot. Never, ever mistake them for failures. The gold might just be three more feet away, but if you stop and give up; you’ll miss out. Develop persistence at all costs. Like Henry Ford.

Determination and manifestation

Back in the day, Henry Ford wanted to build an engine with all 8 cylinders cast in one block. The design was prepared but all the engineers agreed that it was utterly inconceivable to actually do it.

But what Henry wants, Henry gets.

For a year, Ford directed the engineers to keep at it as they helplessly claimed the task impossible, but Henry was adamant on having it done. And it did.

That persistence paved the way for performance.

But we digress, back to the question at hand:

How do you think and grow rich?

Burning Desire

The first step is discovering a burning desire within yourself. Something that you must absolutely do before leaving this earthly abode. The next thing is to make it a ‘definite’ one. Give it a date, a time, and a plan.

As you go ahead and follow your desires make sure to burn all past bridges. Don’t keep a fall back cushion beneath yourself. If you desire to become rich, you must become money conscious and not poverty conscious. Be conscious of success stories, not those of failure. What you perceive is what you become!

“Success requires no explanations, failure permits no alibis”

Faith

Faith removes all limitations from your thought; it frees you from the possibility of failure. And here’s the thing — having faith is like a placebo. You just tell yourself to have faith and voila, you will!

Auto-suggestion

This is the principle upon which Faith acts. Simply put, the majority of your choices are dictated by your subconscious — what goes in it tends to stick. Autosuggestion is basically the act of transferring positive affirmations into your subconscious.

Here’s how you can use auto-suggestion:

1. Write down your plans many times
2. Speak them aloud every day
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2

So now you know what you want but you need a plan. That’s where specialised knowledge comes in. It’s the bridge between your thoughts and actions. Remember, to be rich you needn’t have it, but simply invest in specialised knowledge. Specialised knowledge really works. Why? Because you put all your energy, experience, and learning into ONE. SINGULAR. GOAL. You make the universe give you what you want by being intensely focussed.

Imagination

This can be either synthetic or creative. Synthetic imagination helps you build upon what already exists. Creative helps you ‘create’ something utterly new. Similar to the difference between 1-n and 0-1!There is no standard price of ideas, the creator decides and markets them. You get to be in charge!

Organised Planning

Become a master of even the most minute details. Plan it all out to the day. Be concise with all your days and dates. Use temporary setbacks to keep reviewing your master plan! Every note you put to paper should have a reason and a destination!

Self Analysis

Keep checking yourself. Like an inventory. What constructive activity have you done each day? What are your weaknesses, what makes you sway from your decisions? Remember, treat your feelings objectively.

Making Decisions

Decisions are the counter to procrastination. But making choices isn’t enough. The art lies in making prompt decisions that utilise opportunities. This step is the glue that connects all that you’ve read so far.

The Master Mind

Attach yourself to like-minded and singularly-focused people. And put it upon yourself to maintain harmony and collaboration. An environment like this is most conducive to spark your creative imagination

Appreciate the power of compounding

Things don’t happen overnight, they happen because of daily instalments. Increase your productivity in small increments every single day

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One of the biggest thorns in your side is fear. You can remove it by constantly asking yourself questions and making sure you are the captain of your soul.

Getting rich begins with thinking rich.

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